Why Your Marketing Team Needs Developer Resources

Whether you’re a struggling startup or an established company, there’s a good chance your marketing team isn’t getting the love it deserves—especially when it comes to developer resources. And from a financial perspective, this seemingly small oversight can quickly become a critical mistake.

Here are five reasons why the folks in marketing deserve a bigger piece of the pie.

Marketing is in Your Product’s DNA

“Marketing is all about testing what works and what doesn’t,” explains communications leader Robbie Mitchell. “So you can either build your product and test it at the same time, or build it and sit around while marketing catches up.” Most businesses opt for the latter, and it costs them dearly in terms of time and money.

The concept of throwing up a few banner ads and calling it a day is woefully outdated in 2016. Your marketing team has some hefty responsibilities across several platforms, from attracting buyers to building a brand to garnering media attention. And this process needs to begin on day one, not twenty minutes before launch time.

Although developers may balk at meeting with marketers before having even typed that first line of code, this is precisely the time to join forces. Early integration of marketing initiatives into the software (e.g. user demographics, acquisition features) is vital. Applying these features to your product after the fact can be costly and time-consuming, making it harder to capitalize on opportunities.

It’s a Numbers Game

Looking to develop the world’s next great app? This economics report from VisionMobile is more than a little sobering. For starters, one quarter of all mobile developers will make no money from all their hard work. That’s right: $0.00. And nearly 50% of all developers make less than a hundred dollars per app per month. In fact, 54% of all app revenue goes to a mere 2% of developers.

With over 1.2 million apps in Apple’s App Store, and an equal number in Google’s Play, competition isn’t just stiff—it’s beyond fierce. Which means even the most innovative ideas are destined to fail without a significant marketing push. Even if your product can change the world, you still need to (a) have buyers know it exists, and (b) show them how it improves their lives. This is marketing’s raison d’être.

If You Build It, They Won’t Necessarily Come

If you’re a minor league baseball pitcher with a 1.25 ERA, it’s pretty much guaranteed the professional scouts will come knocking on your door. Why? Because in the world of sports, there’s an infrastructure that quickly recognizes and rewards talent.

Sadly, this isn’t the case in the world of development. Countless—and we mean countless—potentially groundbreaking products have died on the vine, lost in a sea of low-quality competitors.

In our twenty-first century tech environment, innovation isn’t the be-all and end-all—it’s merely step one. Step two is about getting the word out—shouting like a carnival barker at anyone within earshot. And this is nearly impossible without a significant investment in marketing and promotion.

Use It Or Lose It

Top-tier marketers are hard to find. Holding onto them can be even harder, which is why it’s essential to keep them in the loop whenever possible. Any player in your creative team will eventually become apathetic—or full-on frustrated—if their skills, insights, and wisdom aren’t being applied.

Trust us—there are plenty of businesses out there who’ll be more than happy to put their talents to use. So be sure to hold on to what you have. Never give your competitors the leg up.

A Big Return on Your Investment

Remember the VisionMobile report we referenced earlier? If its figures prove anything, it’s that marketing is often viewed as little more than an afterthought.

Let’s start with the most egregious statistic: two-thirds of app developers spend less than a hundred dollars on marketing. That’s akin to sinking your finances into a convenience store and not bothering to purchase an “open” sign for the front window. Equally frustrating—yet painfully obvious—is the fact 80% of developers who spend little time on marketing ever make more than $5,000.

The takeaway here: don’t fall into the trap of thinking a small amount of promotion is good enough—it isn’t. If your product has any chance of success, it’s going to need the biggest push possible. Remember: this isn’t about hijacking your development budget; it’s about proper resource allocation.

The Last Word

Development without solid marketing is like owning a washing machine without a dryer—you’re only getting half the job done. With our oversaturated tech market, there’s no longer the luxury of relying on word of mouth or the chance of being discovered. Businesses need to use every weapon in their arsenal, and few are as effective as the sheer power of promotion.

Looking to assemble the perfect team to get your product in motion? Gigster is here to help.